Guidance

Enhanced Yersinia surveillance: privacy notice

Published 17 April 2024

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enhanced-yersinia-surveillance-privacy-notice/enhanced-yersinia-surveillance-privacy-notice

About UKHSA

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is an executive agency of the government, sponsored by the Department Health and Social Care (DHSC). DHSC is the data controller for the personal information we collect, store and use to fulfil our remit.

Further information about the personal data UKHSA collects and uses can be found in our general privacy notice.

We collect and use personal information to fulfil our remit from the government. UKHSA’s responsibilities include monitoring cases and outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as yersiniosis, to understand more about the disease and help reduce the risk of infection.

This privacy notice explains the personal information we collect on cases of yersiniosis, how we use it and who we may share it with.

The information we collect

The types of personal information we may collect about you include:

  • demographic information – for example, we collect your name, date of birth, sex, ethnic group, NHS number, contact details (such as your address, postcode, phone number and email address), household information and travel history
  • health information – for example, we may collect information about your clinical presentations, and medical diagnoses
  • treatment information – for example, we may collect information about your hospital admissions and medications prescribed

How we collect the information

Personal information on cases of yersiniosis is collected by us from the providers of health and care services. We also collect information from laboratories that process Yersinia spp. test results. To help protect public health, all doctors and laboratories in England are required to inform UKHSA of cases of food poisoning.

We may ask you to complete an enhanced surveillance questionnaire to collect your demographic information, information about infectious disease symptoms, potential sources of exposure to the infection and details of the people you have been in close contact with who may have been infected.

We may also collect information from other organisations if this is necessary and proportionate to enable us to fulfil our remit.

The purposes we use the information for

Information on cases of yersiniosis is collected and used by us to:

  • identify trends and monitor the epidemiology of Yersinia spp. The results of this work are to produce routine surveillance reports to show the rates of infection over time
  • help understand the risks and sources of Yersinia spp. so that interventions can be targeted to reduce the spread of infection
  • control clusters and outbreaks of Yersinia spp. by taking action to reduce its transmission
  • share health and related information with other countries or healthcare organisations to help control and prevent the global spread of Yersinia spp. as part of the UK’s obligations under the International Health Regulations

Who we share the information with

We will only share your data in aggregative format that won’t allow identification of any individuals. We will share this with other organisations and in public surveillance reports to support protection of the public’s health.  

Where we share your personal information, we will only do so where the law allows, and we will only share the minimum amount of information that is necessary to protect public health.

How we protect the information

The personal information we collect and use on cases of yersiniosis is protected by us in a range of ways.

It is stored on computer systems that are kept up to date and regularly tested to make sure they are secure and protected from viruses and hacking. Where we share your personal information with other organisations, we only ever do so using secure computer systems or encrypted email.

Your personal information can only be seen by staff who have been trained to protect your confidentiality and in understanding laws and regulations such as the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. Strict controls are in place to make sure all these staff can only see the minimum amount of personal information they need to do their job.

Whenever possible, we only use your information in a form that does not directly identify you.  For example, we can replace your name and NHS number a non-identifying phrase or number that replaces your personal information and substitute your date of birth with age in years to help protect your confidentiality. No information that could identify any individual is ever published by UKHSA.

Where we store your information

We store personal information on cases of yersiniosis in the UK and data will only be processed within the UK.

How long we keep the information

We will only keep personal information for as long as we need it to protect public health or as otherwise required by law. Personal information will be retained for the minimum time needed and we will review this need regularly. Information on risk factors (such as ethnic origin, travel history) and clinical information will be retained for up to 10 years. This is because one of our purposes for collecting personal information is to recognise trends and monitor the impact of diseases and conditions that have a long natural history, we may need to keep your information for longer. Contact details (mobile and email address) will be deleted after one year as there will be no further use after this time.

Your rights over your information

Under data protection law, you have several rights over your personal information. You have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of any information we hold about you
  • ask for any information we hold about you that you think is inaccurate to be changed
  • ask us to restrict our use of your information, for example, where you think the information we are using is inaccurate
  • object to us using any information we hold about you, although this is not an absolute right and we may need to continue to use your information – we will tell you why if this is the case
  • delete any information we hold about you, although this is not an absolute right and we may need to continue to use your information – we will tell you why if this is the case
  • ask us not to use your information to make automated decisions about you without the involvement of one of our staff

You can exercise any of these rights by contacting UKHSA at:

Information Rights Team
UKHSA, 5th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 5EA

Email: InformationRights@UKHSA.gov.uk

You will be asked to provide proof of your identity so that we can be sure we only provide you with your information

You can find out more about these rights in the UKHSA general privacy notice.

The law on protecting personal information, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, allows UKHSA to use people’s personal data for the public health purposes set out in this privacy notice.

The sections of the GDPR and the Data Protection Act that apply are:

  • GDPR Article 6(1)(e) ‘exercise of official authority’
  • GDPR Article 9(2)(i) ‘public health’
  • DPA (2018) Schedule 1 Part 1 (3) ‘public health’

How to find out more or raise a concern

If you would like to find out more about the surveillance of Yersinia spp. infections, you can contact us at Yersinia@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you have any concerns about how personal information is used and protected by UKHSA, you can contact the UKHSA Data Protection Officer at dataprotectionofficer@ukhsa.gov.uk or by writing to:

Office of the Data Protection Officer
UKHSA, 5th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 5EA

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office if you have any concerns about how UKHSA uses and protects any personal information it holds about you. You can do so by calling the ICO’s helpline on 0303 123 1113, visiting the ICO’s website at ico.org.uk or by writing to:

Customer Contact
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF

About this privacy information

The personal information we collect and use for the surveillance of Yersinia spp. may change so we may need to revise this notice. If we do, the publication date provided at this top of this notice will change.

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